The Nineteenth Amendment
On August 18, 1920 (92 years ago today) the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage. The amendment reads "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
When the Constitution was adopted in 1789, it did not specifically prohibit women from voting. It was interpreted that this decision was delegated to the individual states, and all of them denied the right to women, with the exception of New Jersey, which initially allowed women the vote, but took away that privilege in 1807.
The 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York is considered by many historians to be the start of the American women's rights movement. Some suffrage bills were introduced into most state legislatures around this time, but few came to a vote.
During the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) women's rights leaders advocated for inclusion of universal suffrage as a civil right in the Reconstruction amendments (the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments) but despite their efforts, these amendments did nothing to promote women's suffrage. Through the activism of suffrage organizations, women's suffrage was established in the newly formed constitutions of Wyoming Territory in 1869, Utah in 1870, and Washington Territory in 1883. State legislatures began to consider suffrage bills, and several even held voter referenda, but they were unsuccessful.
Two rival organizations, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), were formed in 1869. The NWSA, led by suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, attempted several unsuccessful court challenges in the mid-1870s. Their argument before the courts was that the Fourteenth Amendment (granting universal citizenship) and Fifteenth Amendment (granting the vote irrespective of race) together served to guarantee voting rights to women. Three Supreme Court decisions from 1873 to 1875 rejected this argument, so these groups shifted to advocating for a new constitutional amendment.
The Nineteenth Amendment's text was drafted by Susan B. Anthony with the assistance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The proposed amendment was first introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Aaron A. Sargent of California, who had met and befriended Anthony on a train ride in 1872. He often attempted to insert women's suffrage provisions into unrelated bills, but did not formally introduce a constitutional amendment until January 1878. Stanton and other women testified before the Senate in support of the amendment. The proposal sat in a committee until it was considered by the full Senate and rejected in a 16 to 34 vote in 1887.
A three-decade period followed, during which the amendment was not considered by Congress and the women's suffrage movement achieved few victories. The issue returned in 1910 and 1911 with surprise successes in Washington and California. Over the next few years, most western states passed legislation or voter referenda enacting full or partial suffrage for women. These successes were linked to the 1912 election, which saw the election of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson. In 1914 the constitutional amendment was once again considered by the Senate, where it was again rejected.
On January 12, 1915, a proposal to amend the Constitution to provide for women's suffrage was brought before the House of Representatives, but was defeated by a vote of 204 to 174. Another proposal was brought before the House on January 10, 1918. During the previous evening, President Wilson made a strong and widely published appeal to the House to pass the amendment. It was passed by the required two-thirds of the House, with only one vote to spare. The vote was then carried into the Senate. Wilson again made an appeal, but on September 30, 1918, the proposal fell two votes short of passage. On February 10, 1919, it was again voted upon and failed by only one vote.
There was considerable desire among politicians of both parties to have the proposal made part of the Constitution before the 1920 general elections, so the President called a special session of the Congress so the proposal would be brought before the House again. On May 21, 1919, it passed the House, 42 votes more than necessary being obtained. On June 4, 1919, it was brought before the Senate and, after a long discussion, it was passed with 56 ayes and 25 nays. Within a few days, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan ratified the amendment, their legislatures being in session. Other states followed suit at a regular pace, until the amendment had been ratified by 35 of the necessary 36 state legislatures. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee narrowly approved the Nineteenth Amendment, with 50 of 99 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives voting yes. This provided the final ratification necessary to enact the amendment.
Women would use their vote in the 1920 Presidential election by electing Warren G. Harding as President.
When the Constitution was adopted in 1789, it did not specifically prohibit women from voting. It was interpreted that this decision was delegated to the individual states, and all of them denied the right to women, with the exception of New Jersey, which initially allowed women the vote, but took away that privilege in 1807.
The 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York is considered by many historians to be the start of the American women's rights movement. Some suffrage bills were introduced into most state legislatures around this time, but few came to a vote.
During the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) women's rights leaders advocated for inclusion of universal suffrage as a civil right in the Reconstruction amendments (the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments) but despite their efforts, these amendments did nothing to promote women's suffrage. Through the activism of suffrage organizations, women's suffrage was established in the newly formed constitutions of Wyoming Territory in 1869, Utah in 1870, and Washington Territory in 1883. State legislatures began to consider suffrage bills, and several even held voter referenda, but they were unsuccessful.
Two rival organizations, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), were formed in 1869. The NWSA, led by suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, attempted several unsuccessful court challenges in the mid-1870s. Their argument before the courts was that the Fourteenth Amendment (granting universal citizenship) and Fifteenth Amendment (granting the vote irrespective of race) together served to guarantee voting rights to women. Three Supreme Court decisions from 1873 to 1875 rejected this argument, so these groups shifted to advocating for a new constitutional amendment.
The Nineteenth Amendment's text was drafted by Susan B. Anthony with the assistance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The proposed amendment was first introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Aaron A. Sargent of California, who had met and befriended Anthony on a train ride in 1872. He often attempted to insert women's suffrage provisions into unrelated bills, but did not formally introduce a constitutional amendment until January 1878. Stanton and other women testified before the Senate in support of the amendment. The proposal sat in a committee until it was considered by the full Senate and rejected in a 16 to 34 vote in 1887.
A three-decade period followed, during which the amendment was not considered by Congress and the women's suffrage movement achieved few victories. The issue returned in 1910 and 1911 with surprise successes in Washington and California. Over the next few years, most western states passed legislation or voter referenda enacting full or partial suffrage for women. These successes were linked to the 1912 election, which saw the election of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson. In 1914 the constitutional amendment was once again considered by the Senate, where it was again rejected.
On January 12, 1915, a proposal to amend the Constitution to provide for women's suffrage was brought before the House of Representatives, but was defeated by a vote of 204 to 174. Another proposal was brought before the House on January 10, 1918. During the previous evening, President Wilson made a strong and widely published appeal to the House to pass the amendment. It was passed by the required two-thirds of the House, with only one vote to spare. The vote was then carried into the Senate. Wilson again made an appeal, but on September 30, 1918, the proposal fell two votes short of passage. On February 10, 1919, it was again voted upon and failed by only one vote.
There was considerable desire among politicians of both parties to have the proposal made part of the Constitution before the 1920 general elections, so the President called a special session of the Congress so the proposal would be brought before the House again. On May 21, 1919, it passed the House, 42 votes more than necessary being obtained. On June 4, 1919, it was brought before the Senate and, after a long discussion, it was passed with 56 ayes and 25 nays. Within a few days, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan ratified the amendment, their legislatures being in session. Other states followed suit at a regular pace, until the amendment had been ratified by 35 of the necessary 36 state legislatures. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee narrowly approved the Nineteenth Amendment, with 50 of 99 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives voting yes. This provided the final ratification necessary to enact the amendment.
Women would use their vote in the 1920 Presidential election by electing Warren G. Harding as President.